Unusual Tax Deduction Claims

Auto expenses, banking fees, building repairs, business travel, computers and tech supplies, home office supplies,  medical expenses, and even rebates on sales can all be tax deduction claims. In addition to this long list, the United States tax code also allows for many unusual tax deduction claims that are still considered legitimate.

I bet you’ve never even thought of these claims yourself. Before you laugh out loud and say “what?”, maybe you might be able to use these tax deductions yourself!

If you are moving to a new place because of job relocation, the expenses are generally tax deductible. What you didn’t know is that the expenses of moving your pet from your current or old home to your new home is treated the same as moving your other personal properties.

Do you have an overbite? If so, do have some clarinet lessons. The clarinet itself and the music lessons will both be tax deductible. This was based on a 1962 case where an orthodontist argued that playing the clarinet helps correct a child’s overbite.

Childcare expenses can be deductible too. Just as long as you are doing charity work, busy enough not to be able to take your of your family yourself. In fact, a mother claimed her babysitter expenses as a deduction because she was performing charitable deeds while she was away from her child.

Want a swimming pool installed? It’s tax deductible too, just as long as you have a medical condition in which swimming would help you alleviate it. This is what happened to a patient who had arthritis. He had a swimming pool installed on his property and deducted the expenses from his taxes. However, know that if the pool were to be used for recreational purposes, it wouldn’t be approved.

Have you been a chronic smoker who’s just dying to quit? Well, this might sound enticing to you. Yes, the IRS may give you a little encouragement, allowing you to deduct expenses for smoking cessation programs, nicotine patches, stop-smoking aides, and the like.

Is the cost of getting in shape deductible? Yes, especially if your physical condition has somehow endangered your life. The cost for remedies that help you drop a few pounds, improve your heart rate, or reduce your cholesterol might all be deductible.

If you are a competing bodybuilder who wants to deduct the expenses from body oil, well, you’d be surprised… it’s possible. In fact, for one bodybuilder, it worked. He claimed a deduction for the cost of body oil that he used in competitions. The IRS agreed.